Runaway Train
by Sakura123
Summary: Jean reflects on a chance encounter with a girl as she, Scott, and Storm, search for a mutant picked up by Cerebro. JeanxScott. ONE SHOT.


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Runaway Train

* * *

**Author**: Sakura123

**Category**: X-Men: The Movie

**Genre**: General

**Timeline:** Post-X1, X2 (AU)

**Rating**: T

**Summary:** Jean reflects on a chance encounter, as she, Scott, and Storm, search for a mutant picked up by Cerebro. Preliminary ONE SHOT.

**Disclaimer: **_X-Men_ and all its characters and things related are property of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Chris Claremont, 20Th CENTURY FOX and MARVEL COMICS. All Rights Reserved. _Runaway Train_ is property of Eric Clapton and Elton John. Storyline and Original Character(s) are property of me, the writer. All rights reserved, do not use without permission.

**Author's Note:** This story was basically written on a whim. A conduit to release a bunch of pent-up ideals I had for an _X-men_ fanfiction. This isn't the first _X-men _story I've written (I wrote one about six years ago and it was pretty juvenile when I found it again), but it is the first one I've managed to complete with some sense of coherency. The particular mutation of the original character was inspired by Nero's Devil Bringer in _Devil May Cry 4 _- but does not harbor the same abilities. Constructive Criticism only. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

_There's a hungry road I can only hope's_

_Gonna eat me up inside_

_There's a drifting spirit coming clean_

_In the eye of a lifelong fire_

_Tell Monday I'll be around next week;_

_I'm running ahead of my days_

_In the shotgun chance that scattered us,_

_I've seen the error of my ways_

_Well we've wrapped ourselves in golden crowns_

_Like sun gods spitting rain_

_Found a way home written on this map_

_Like red dye in my veins_

_In the hardest times that come around,_

_The fear of losing grows_

_I've lost and seen the world shut down;_

_It's a darkness no one knows_

* * *

_(Not Too Distant Future; Phoenix, Arizona):_

* * *

"Ororo, are you sure these are the right coordinates?" A pessimistic Scott Summers inquired, adjusting his headset. "Yeah, positive," Came the voice behind him. Ororo Monroe monitored the GPS, her white shoulder-length hair curled around her face and neck as she turned to face Cyclops. It had been two and ½ months -- the very least -- since the attack on the White House, and Stryker's attack on the Mansion that lead to the subsequent confrontation in Canada.

Damages to the mansion itself, were superficial at best -- broken glass, damaged walls, it could all be fixed. Reassembling Cerebro was marginally difficult, but with the Xavier's aid, the original trio of the school had managed to get up and working one hundred percent again. The household of children, captured or not, weren't so easy to "fix", however. Xavier, Jean, Storm, and Scott had tried to console them to the best of their abilities. Most opened up, others remained withdrawn or pretended it never happened. Logan, despite his offers to help, could only get Rogue and Bobby to talk to him or the others. Everyone else avoided him, they were simply too close to talk to.

So the Professor had hired a 'therapist', an associate back from his days as acting as a caretaker to victims of war. Moira MacTaggert, technically wasn't a physiatrist, but given her close involvement with mutants and her research on mutant genetics, she seemed like the ideal person to talk to these children, she could relate to them in a sense. They were reluctant at first, but soon the children opened up the newcomer -- some even went as far to visit the laboratory whenever she was hard at work on one of her projects. Xavier's idea worked like a charm, the students even started talking to their teachers about their post-invasion problems. Things had almost regained a state of normalcy in Xavier's.

That is until, another mutant attack surfaced on the news. Storm had been waiting for the weather report when the news anchor announced "breaking news". Apparently, the unidentified mutant had broke into the office of the late Military Scientist, William Stryker, and copied an unknown file from his computer before wiping the hardrdive with a magnet. It was later revealed at the end of the report, that the mutant blew a hole into the entrance of the building (there was no subtly in the assailant's break-in) -- the security camera had caught a glimpse of her break-in before it was obliterated with the rest of the wall.

What she witnessed, sent Ororo rushing to report all that she had discovered. But the professor was one step ahead of her; She was requested to join him, Scott, Logan, and Jean in the basement. From there the foursome waited outside the doors of Cerebro while the Professor searched for the mutant's signature. A moment later he exited the dome shaped room and reported the mutant's signature was fractured -- the energy signature he sensed within her, was a small mixture of her own, but the majority it were of other mutant energy signatures -- including Scott's. This made the stoic young man's stony expression falter into mild shock. His energy signature?

Concerned that the Government (or Magneto) could apprehend the mutant before they could, he sent Storm, Cyclops, and Jean to intercept her with the coordinates of her last known position. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Iceman, and Colossus were left to protect the school. So there they were, sitting in the Blackbird circling over the desert terrain that surrounded a large power plant. Storm came up between the two, surveying the area she pointed a manicured finger nail towards the vacant patch of land behind the building.

"There, that's a good spot," She murmured. Scott had no argument with her, it was closest to the building, but far enough away that it wouldn't attract attention, especially with the jet's recent upgrades to aid them. The jet landed softly on the ground, Cyclops flipped the necessary switches; the ramp lowered and the jet powered down. They ventured outside of the vehicle, Jean shivered at the cool air that whipped around them. The desert was unbearable during the day, but it was downright uncomfortable at night. Cyclops scrutinized the building with wariness -- there was something about this entire situation that didn't feel right. "Jean, can you sense anything thing?" He inquired.

Jean came up beside her husband with a strained sigh, a indication that she was using her telepathy. She blinked rapidly as she tried to focus on the energy signature she had felt when they arrived in Phoenix, Arizona. There were about half the mutants in this state than there were in Manhattan or Baltimore -- but, this particular one was stronger than the rest -- teetering on the edge of a class five mutant, but well within the confines of a class four mutant that there was no cause for alarm.

She felt a faint flicker of a heartbeat inside the complex -- in fact there were three heartbeats -- none of which belonged to the girl they were tracking. Coasting further into the building, she caught a faint trace of Scott's energy signature in the farthest part of the building, third floor. But there was something else, something strangely familiar about the energy Scott's was attached to. "We've got company," She said warily. Storm joined her friends, her expression becoming steely. "The Brotherhood?" She inquired. Jean tilted her head to the side, eyes squinted. "Not really. Their apart of Magneto's group, and they're definitely looking for the girl. She's on the far side of the building, on the move," She looked to Scott with a pointed expression. Cyclops, turned to meet her gaze before marching forward, Jean and Storm following.

* * *

"_Oh, Scott, what about this?" Jean raised the charger up to his line of sight, a pleading sort of smile playing on her lips. Scott turned away from the glass case of wine glasses to examine the gold and red-leaf designed charger Jean currently had in her hands. He wasn't even sure why he was with her on this little 'shopping trip'. _

_This was Ororo's job, she and Jean were supposed to be picking out dinner ware and table cloths for their wedding, which was more than six months away now. He gave the glimmering charger a once over; Its red and gold color pattern was more of a fall theme, it would August by the time they got ready to exchange vows. He wanted a mid-summer theme -- blue and white, Japanese lanterns, his fiancée in a flowing white dress (or Kimono), her head surrounded thick red curls illuminated by the setting sun --_

"_Scott, your wandering," Jean warned, laughing. Scott snapped himself out of his daydream abruptly, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. "Sorry," He apologized. "The charger's nice, Jean." The moment those words escaped his mouth, Jean picked up on his disinterest. Scott caught the flicker of disappointment in her eyes and stumbled with his words. "Well -- I just, I just thought that we settled on a Mid-summer theme..?" He blurted lamely. _

"_No, you did. I want a fall theme, regardless of what season it is. Brown, gold, and red are such beautiful colors together, why not have it as apart of our wedding theme?" She said, turning the charger in her hands. Scott gave his fiancée a incredulous look. "Because, August is a mid-summer month?" He stated, matter-of-factly. "Scott!" Jean exclaimed, pouting. It wasn't a playful pout, it was the kind of pout she made whenever she attempted to keep her temper in check. _

_Scratching the back of his head, he said, "I think we need to find something we can both agree on, Jean, or Ororo's going to take that privilege from us." Jean exclaimed in exasperation, she lowered the charger back onto the table display and folded her arms across her chest and walked away. Scott followed, his eyes surveying the various eye-catching displays in _Pier-1 Imports_, hands clasped behind him. _

_Ahead of him, Jean ventured into the fabric section of the store. She studied the threads of the exotic rugs and pillows with dreamy eyes. She could imagine the rugs laid out on the hardwood floor of the lake house, and the pillows arranged on the couch. She sighed in resignation; Maybe she should've brought Ororo with her instead of Sc-- "Ow, excuse me," Jean proclaimed, stumbling backward against a chair as a young woman carrying a _Macy's_ shopping bag turned around to face her. _

"_My bad, I wasn't paying attention," She apologized hurriedly. Jean noticed something vanish up the girl's large sleeve before she dashed out of the her line of sight, bumping into Scott as well. "Watch it, kid," Scott shot tersely. The girl muttered a quick apology and exited the store. Jean watched her lover's frown melt as his eyes wandered over to her. She smiled in return, unfolding her arms. It was then that she noticed her velvet clutch purse was missing…_

* * *

The plan was a simple one; There were four levels of the complex, three of them, and three unknown mutants. Cyclops would take the first level, Jean the second, and Storm had the pleasure of covering the third level of the building. The fourth they would tackle together if everything went smoothly. If they didn't find the girl. "Scott, wouldn't it be better if we stick together? Something about this entire situation just doesn't settle right with me --"

"Maybe," Scott interrupted, "but if we come at this kid together it might frighten her. We'll cover more ground this way. Alright?" Storm nodded in the affirmative, but Jean remained unconvinced by his speech. _I'll be fine, Jean. Don't worry,_ Cyclops sent through their bond. Jean jumped a bit, her nervousness did not go unnoticed by her teammates. Jean pressed her lips together in resignation. _Alright, just be careful, Scott…_ she replied as he made his way down the darkened hall.

"He'll be fine, Jean," Storm assured her friend. The two went their separate ways, searching their designated levels. Storm was the first to complete her sweep of her the third floor; There was no sign of the girl or the other mutants that Jean sensed inside. It was as if they had vanished, which was frustrating to say the least. Ororo didn't have to wait long for the others, in the corner of her eye she caught Jean coming around the corner holding something in her hands. "Ororo, did you find anything?" Jean inquired once she was in earshot. "No," Storm shook her head while she eyed the velvet purse in her friend's hand. "Does that belong to the girl?" She said. Jean shook her head, her lips pressed into a frown. She opened her mouth to explain when she felt something brush across her mind, her gaze focused on the hall ahead of them. Storm followed her gaze, she saw nothing beyond the flickering lights and dripping water pipes.

"Jean...? Jean!" Ororo's voice snapped Jean from her daydream. The white haired windrider watched her friend with concern, Jean realized why and sighed. "I'm fine, Storm," Jean smiled assuringly to her friend and continued down the dark hall. She had been doing that more and more lately, Ororo noted. Zoning out for minutes at time, like she really wasn't here anymore, but focusing on something beyond their comprehension or sight. It was unsettling to say the least. Storm followed after Jean cautiously, her senses on full alert.

The two continued down the hall, Jean couldn't figure out where this sudden sensation was coming from. It screamed of panic and warning all it the same time, yet she couldn't tell if it was from Scott or someone else. Something or _someone_ was throwing her telepathy off and she didn't like it. Raising a hand to her headset, she pressed the talk button. "Scott? Scott, have you found --" A sudden explosion from behind sent the two x-women hurtling forward from the shockwave and their own response to the danger. Leaning against the wall, they turned their heads around to catch a glimpse of Cyclops crashing against the wall and a fist emerge from the dust. The simple expression of shock and pain that etched itself onto their leader's face was enough to tell them that the fist signified more than the usual danger.

Storm's eyes clouded over, extending her hand she sent a gust of wind into the dust just as the assailant's fist made contact with Scott's chest. Everything slowed down; Cyclops' head collided the wall behind him, blood errupted from his mouth and nose and wall itself shattered like a windshield before imploding upon itself. Scott and the remains of the wall were sucked out of the hallway like astronaut being sucked out an airlock. "_Scott!"_ Jean cried both mentally and verbally. She could feel his pain vibrating through their rapport.

Two more figures appeared next to the tall and lanky man/woman (Jean wasn't sure); A young woman of obvious Spanish decent, dressed in black fishnet stockings over leather pants, and a corset accompanied by a waist length leather jacket. A piecing resided underneath her lower lip and exotic tattoo graced the left side of her face.

Next to the shorter woman was a young man, obviously Asian, tiny spikes covered his body (an obvious flaunt of his power), and he too carried a similar tattoo and piecing as well. The tallest member of their group, was stony faced and wore similar attire and bore the same 'O' shaped tattoos. "Well, well, looks like we got some competition," Callisto eyed both women standing across from her. However, once her eyes landed on Storm, her face screwed up in instant disgust. Ororo could only look on in confusion and anger. Callisto nodded towards the gapping hole in the wall. "Take of the _Pendejo_ down there, Arclight." The tall mutant, Arclight, gave Storm and Jean a simmering glare before leaping out of the hole, down where Cyclops currently lay.

Jean shot a underlying look of panic towards the hole, closing her eyes she felt around for Scott's presence. Pain still radiated through their bond, he was on the move, no longer lying on the ground amongst the rubble. _I'm -- I'm alright, I don't think anything's bro--_ Scott's half-hearted reassurances were abruptly cut off, a physic cry of pain echoed in her mind. Arclight had caught up with him. Jean and Storm advanced forward, Callisto and the other mutant did the same.

Callisto smirk wickedly at them, fists flexing in anctipation. "Magneto told us you'd be here. I didn't think you'd actually show --" Storm and Jean's attentions shifted behind the their prospective enemies. A young woman came to a skidding halt, panic spreading throughout her entire being. A cry of surprise inadvertently escaped her lips, Callisto and the young man, Kid Omega, turned around in response. Callisto smiled triumphantly. "Found ya', you little -- gah!" Callisto cried out in pain as she was smashed against the wall by telekinesis.

Storm whipped out her hand and stuck Kid Omega with a bolt of lightening, just as Omega sent a telekinetic blast against them. Jean and Ororo grunted when they collided with the wall, Jean recovered enough to charge forward. She leapt over the fallen bodies and Storm mimicked her movement, but was caught by the ankle by Callisto and thrown backward out of the hole. Callisto climbed to her feet and sped out of the hole after the goddess.

Kid Omega stumbled to his feet, his body trembling slightly from being electrocuted. He caught sight of the girl, running down the hall, Jean following after her. Pulling himself into an upright position, Quentin Quire raised himself off the ground and 'flew' after the two women.

* * *

"…_Scott, my purse," Jean breathed, her eyes focused on the exit of _Pier 1 Imports._ Scott didn't take long to put two and two together, he reached into the back pocket of his pants. His wallet was missing. "Damn," he rushed out of the store after the pickpocket. Scott looked in all possible directions the girl could've gone. Why hadn't he felt that? It used to pick pockets for a living once. The famous 'bump maneuver' should've tipped him off immediately._

_Scott's eyes swept across the bustling crowds until he spotted the vibrant orange sweat jacket and Jean's velvet purse tight in the girl's grasp… two floors below him. Growling in, frustration he began his pursuit, steadily becoming aware Jean was following after him. They rushed down the stairs quickly, avoiding the escalators at all costs as they were crowded with people. _

_Jean monitored the position of the girl, careful to keep her presence hidden from the her. Crowds of people unconsciously moved out of their way, with a little nudge of physic suggestion, they were quickly gaining on their target, blissfully unawares of their approach. Suddenly, the girl stopped in her tracks, Jean and Scott braced themselves as she turned on one foot and faced them. _

_She just stared for a moment, then blinked. "Yes, can I help you?" She asked innocently. Scott's chest puffed up and deflated at the girl's question, she was a lousy pickpocket and a terrible lair at that. As he opened his mouth to speak, Jean came up from behind him. "I believe you have something of ours," She stated simply. The girl's neck craned upward a little, the muscles becoming visible. Her eyes darted between the man and woman before her. "Excuse me?" She answered tersely. "I just bumped into you, I didn't steal anything from you!"_

"_Yes, actually, you did," Scott pointed to the items in her the girl's hands. The girl looked down at her hands, a shadow of surprise or embarrassment crossed over her rounded face. Averting her gaze back up to the adults in front of her, she raised her arms and handed the purse and wallet back to them. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..," She mumbled, ashamedly. _

_Scott took the purse and wallet from her possession, the girls fingers glided across his hand, surprised by how warm they were. She withdrew them before he could argue and proceeded to walk away. They allowed her to do so, Scott was relived to find all his money and IDs within the wallet, and Jean could find nothing missing in her purse. Their gazes fell upon the girl again, almost instinctively she reached over and pulled a iPod and a pack of cigarettes from a man's jacket. They shared a look, but only Jean seemed to understand what had occurred._

_The girl was a kleptomaniac._

* * *

Cyclops raised his arms as Arclight swung hers toward his head, Arclight grunted in frustration when her arm failed to connect with her opponent's head. Cyclops did not give her a chance to regroup, his fist connected with her chin, Arclight stumbled backward. He came at her again, this time hitting her with a left/right combination. Cyclops watched her fall backward and roll across the ground as he advanced on her. Raising his leg he brought it down onto her shoulder, knocking her back down.

Arclight cried out in pain, she heard the pop of her shoulder bone becoming dislocated, agonizing pain pulsed through her body. Pulling back her right arm, she thrust it forward and let loose another shockwave. Cyclops leapt back as far as he could, but the shockwave still hit him and all he heard was his own scream and the sound of blood rushing to his head.

Meanwhile, Ororo was having something of a hard time defending herself against Callisto. With every punch she threw, Callisto seemed to be one step ahead of her. Vanishing literally before Storm's fist could smash into her face and just knocking her around, like a cat would with a ball of yarn. _She's toying with me_, Storm thought in frustrated realization.

Across from her, Cyclops wasn't fairing well against Arclight, who continued to use low-level shockwaves to knock him off balance. Storm could tell from his simple movements, that he was disoriented and swinging blindly at this point. Blood ran from his ears, mouth, and nose as he struggled to counter the silent woman's onslaught of mêlée attacks.

Turning her attention back to Callisto, Storm was greeted with a solid punch to face. The weather witch stumbled straight into the woman's grasp again. Callisto growled with pleasure as she spun the white haired hag in circles and launched her in the direction of the one-eyed _pendejo_ Arclight was fighting. Cyclops let out a strangled cry of surprise when Storm collided against them, they fell to the ground in a tangled heap of limbs.

Arclight jogged over to Callisto, she shot an annoyed look in her leader's direction but Callisto ignored it. Instead she looked up at the ceiling, a mischievous expression crossing her face. Arclight seemed to catch onto her idea and gave the woman another look, this time, an incredulous one. "_¿Sabes qué-_-- just do it. I wanna get this kid and get outta here," Callisto snarled.

Arclight studied Callisto's face, contorted with rage, and decided not to argue with her. Arclight's fingers itched to fight with the man lying the ground in a daze, but they had pressing matters to attend to. Her lips twisting in irritation, Arclight intertwined her fingers, allowing the crackling energy to gather around her hands. Callisto stepped back, grinning all the while her friend separated her hands and raised them over head.

With a thunderous clap, Arclight sent a shockwave into the air; the ceiling above shattered upon the wave's impact and began to descend rapidly. Callisto grabbed a hold of Arclight and rushed out of the room. Scott was just coming to his senses when he heard the thunderclap overhead and the concrete splitting in response. Immediately, he grasped a dazed Storm from off the ground and hustled over to the closest thing resembling safety he could find.

Dust and debris fell down around them, Storm, despite her lack of coherence, was beginning to panic, trying to twist her way out of his grasp. With his last burst of strength he and Storm ducked underneath a sturdy concrete table attached to the wall. Shielding Ororo with his body, he shut his eyes and over Ororo's panicked screams, prayed they would survive.

* * *

Jean was still in pursuit of the girl when she felt the tremor of the explosion vibrate through her legs, across the floor. Not a second afterward, the ear-splitting sound of support beams and concrete crumbling and falling below her, echoed through the building. Her heart throbbed hard against her chest, Ororo's fear and Scott's panic hit her like a truck. She stumbled across the ground, her run finally coming to a clumsy halt. The girl vanished around the corner, Jean was torn between following the girl and seeing to her friends, when Kid Omega appeared around the corner.

Raising her hand, Jean closed her palm and brought her arm down forcefully. The Asian cried out in pain as he crashed to the ground, sliding across the floor like a baseball player. Jean bolted from her spot, intending to resume her pursuit of the girl, when her chest collided with an arm that appeared -- seemingly out of nowhere.

Jean felt her lungs close up from the sheer power of the blow, as she fell back an invisible hand came out of nowhere grabbed her by the back of her neck. Jean let out a choked cry of pain as she was lifted into the air. In the corner of her eye, she watched the wall shimmer, a woman with raven hair an violet highlights appeared. "Psylocke!" Came the angry proclamation from Kid Omega, "You aren't supposed to be here!" Psylocke, shot the man behind her an irritated look, cocking her head to the right she focused her attentions on the short-haired, Caucasian female hovering above her.

She was incredibly powerful, Psylocke didn't even have to delve into her mind to sense that. The power was coming off her in waves, but she was being held back by something -- a complex chain of mental blocks. _Interesting, _Psylocke thought absently. "You should be ashamed to call yourself a Morlock. You can't even catch a little girl," Psylocke teased. "_Hun dan_," Kid Omega snarled in Chinese. "Go get the girl!" Raising a hand, he snatched Jean from Psylocke's grasp, Jean fell to the ground with a thud, choking and gasping for air she did so. Psylocke raised her right arm, a purple aura materialized around it, creating her psi-blade. The woman rushed off, leaving Jean to Omega.

* * *

Ahead of Psylocke, the girl had covered considerable ground, and was almost convinced that her assailants had given up chasing her. _But just in case,_ she grabbed a hold of railing and launched herself over it. She had been hiding inside the power planet for over two days now and whatever residual energy that Harbinger picked up from that man (that day in the mall), allowed her to memorize every level and corner in the building. It had also picked up some strange ability to calculate the trajectory of her jump and where she could land safely.

Currently though, the rail of the catwalk she leapt over was suspended over a body of water (a previous flood-in the company had yet to deal with), it was deep enough that she wouldn't die, but it would hurt like hell on impact. Acting fast, the girl positioned herself properly and prayed nothing broke. Her body hit the water like she expected, pain traveled through her body like an electrical current, she ignored it.

With the strongest kicks she could muster, she swam forward without surfacing. Her fingers made contact with the cover of the vent, she made a move to pull it away from the wall when something grabbed her by the back of her pants. The girl was unceremoniously yanked out of the water and into the air, she was spun upright then brought to an abrupt halt. "Jude Kenneth -- how nice to meet you face to face," Psylocke murmured. The girl, Jude, shook her brunette curls out of her face with a heavy cough. Jumping in the water was officially the dumbest move she had ever made.

Struggling was impossible, Psylocke had her trapped in the telekinetic bind. Spitting out a wad of unsavory water, Jude proceeded to inquire, "I thought this Magneto guy allowed you to join his brotherhood, not draft you into it…" Her words trailed off into another cough, she must've swallowed more water than she thought. Psylocke seemed to take her words into consideration, she levitated the girl over the railing onto the catwalk. Jude wheezed in appreciation -- she did not want to fall in the water again. "True, Magneto allows to join or reject invitation to his brotherhood," Psylocke mumbled. "…but, since you gave us so much grief about relenting ownership over that disc you made of Stryker's files --"

"I'm still not givin' you that disc. I need it more than Magneto does," Jude wheezed again, coughing. _God my why does my head hurt?_

"--I think Magneto will forgive our roughing you up… what are you allergic to?" Psylocke inquired suddenly, noticing the girl's increased breathing difficulties. "**Not **_**water**_," Jude responded, blinking rapidly. Psylocke looked over at the water with concern, then back to the girl. Tears poured from her eyes like a river let loose from a dam. How much chlorine was in that water to effect her that fast? Magneto was going to be pissed if she died before giving up the information on the disc's location. "Kid, where is the disc? Your not doing yourself or your friend any good by keeping this from--" Psylocke didn't get to finish her sentence, the very words died on her tongue when she saw the girl's eyes go from a docile copper brown to a deep glowing red in seconds.

Psylocke's cry of pain overlapped with Jude's as the concussive force hit her square in the chest, she slid across the catwalk, unconscious. Jude landed on the catwalk on her feet, then kneeled down when she felt the pressure behind her eyes building up again. She felt her arm shed its smooth skin façade, revealing the ugly and burned arm, Harbinger. The hand glowed with red energy. _This is Cillian's doing,_ she thought angrily. She opened her eyes, blinking them rapidly, blood ran from her sockets. Not good, the assimilation didn't work. "God… _damn it_," She whispered, in tears. Rising to her feet she threw her arm over her face. She leapt over the fallen woman's body and ran out of the narrow pathway into the more open hallway. She felt the Harbinger attempt to grasp anything sticking out of the wall to halt her escape, but she was careful to say in the center of the floor.

Behind her, Jude heard rapid footfalls, Harbinger's (her right arm) hand clenched in anticipation for a fight, and her mental defense, struggled to take control. The footfalls came to a clumsy halt. "Wait!" The woman's voice was soft, the atmosphere seemed to vibrate positively to the echo her cry made. She shook her in objection. _No, no. I'm not stopping for anybody. I've got to get out of here and find Zeke._ "Wait, please! I'm not going to hurt you!" The woman's voice was begging with her now, she still wasn't listening. Zeke was first before anything, nothing else was important. Jude made it as far as the end the hall before the familiar force of telekinesis halted her.

_Fuck._

* * *

When Ororo came to, she felt the crushing weight of her confinement and Scott's labored breathing in her ear. His body was atop of hers, protecting her from the brunt of the concrete's weight, his fingers were intertwined with hers, gripping them lightly. Just like her parents did all those years ago in Egypt. The mirroring circumstances were frightening. "S-Scott?" His name escaped her trembling lips, sounding as weak as she felt. When he did not answer, she began to panic, surely he wasn't dead? The sound of concrete shifting all around her caused Storm to jump, though she could barely move because of the dead weight pinning her down.

"Scott? Scott, please -- please wake up…" She pleaded, sobbing. _Don't leave me here alone…_ She prayed to God above to liberate her from her cramped prison. There was a moment of lingering silence (if you didn't count the shifting concrete) before she felt Scott's stomach pressing against her side, Ororo almost -- no, _did_ -- cry with joy. Scott continued to moan as he slowly came to, Storm continued to sob happily. "Scott, Scott, can you hear me?" She cried, squeezing his hand.

"I hear ya, Ororo," Scott slurred, consciousness still just outside his grasp. "What -- happened?" He felt the pressure on his right hand and squeezed back. "I- were stuck underneath a ton concrete!" Storm's voice was cracking. "Just hang in there, Storm. We'll get out of this somehow," Scott coaxed, keeping a hold on her hand. Storm nodded, but the memories of her traumatic incident in Egypt continued to swarm through her mind. If she was above ground, she could imagine the skies darkening with the promise of storm clouds, lightening cracking overhead.

She allowed herself to cry, in spite of her pride, Scott wouldn't mind -- he understood. The first time they had met, it was in a Serengeti desert village. Ororo thought herself a "Goddess" sent to the people save them. Weather manipulation, after all, was no oridnary occurance and granted only to God. The professor tried to convince her otherwise with the true origin of her powers, Ororo was level-headed enough to listen, but the ideal of being needed was too great. She rejected Charles offer to join him and Scott in Westchester, saying she was needed here. On the day of his and Xavier's departure from Africa, Scott had saved Ororo from being buried alive in a coffin, when a group of religious zealots (mercenaries, honestly) decided to silence the uprising villagers "Goddess", who sought to spread blasphemy against God with her forked tongue and witchcraft.

Scott dealt with the zealots with mild-ease (it was the first time he had used his optic-blasts against something other than bulls-eye targets), and proceeded to dig Ororo out of the sandy grave. Ororo blasted out of the coffin as soon as Scott had gotten the nails on the coffin loose enough. She conjured up a stand storm in an instant. Her attackers were buried underneath the sand. Cyclops stood his ground despite nearly being swallowed by the sand himself, and it wasn't long before Ororo came tumbling back down to earth, a sobbing mess. She went willingly into Scott's arms, allowing him to carry her back to the village where Xavier and her worshipers awaited their return.

From there, Ororo denounced her title as Goddess and followed the two back to the relatively empty Xavier Mansion. Scott built a strong relationship with the windrider. (It would be almost two years before Jean Grey arrived at the Manson's doorstep, fundamentally changing his and Ororo's friendship.) He would dammed if he allowed her to go out like this. "Stay strong, Ororo," He whispered. He felt Ororo nod briefly, hiccupping. The concrete above them shifted again, the strength behind the low growl made Cyclops' stomach twist with discomfort. _Jean! Jean, where are you?!_

Jean wasted no time in responding to her lovers call. _Scott, are you alright?_

_Jean, we need help. We're trapped beneath a ton concrete and metal. Storm's freaking out. _

_Hang on, I'm coming._

Scott felt Jean's presence retreat from their rapport, she kept their link open and surely but slowly, he could feel her getting closer to where they were. Suddenly the adrenaline that had pumped through his veins fizzled out, his eyelids grew heavy and his grip on Ororo's hand became loose. "Scott?" Came Storm's voice, shaken, laced with concern.

Scott gripped her hand again and focused his attentions on staying awake -- his adrenaline rush picked a lousy time to abandon him. While they waited, Storm focused on her friend's breathing instead of listening to pebbles slide, counting the seconds where he would pause then resume breathing again._ The ceiling collapse must've injured him,_ she thought worriedly.

* * *

High above the rubble, Jean Grey reached the end of what remained of the fourth floor, eyes wide with shock; Jean could no longer see the ground below, it was covered wall to wall with two levels of debris. (How she and the girl had avoided this calamity was beyond her.) Scott and Ororo were under all of this? Behind her, Jude Kenneth stumbled to a halt behind her, her breath spent. Grey still held her in a telekinetic bind, she couldn't run away.

_And these people are supposed to help me? They're no better than the police,_ She thought warily, twisting about. She didn't notice the hole in front of her until Jean levitated herself from the ground. "Where are you goin'?" Jude inquired hastily. "You can't leave me like this!" Jean did not respond, gliding through the air she positioned herself in the center of the room and extended her arms. She scanned the room for her friend's signatures -- immediately she picked up on Storm's distress. _Scott?_ Jean communicated through their rapport. _Hmm-- Jean? _Came the belated response.

_Are you Okay?_ Jean inquired worriedly.

…._Tired, I'm not injured, I don't think, _Cyclops answered back. Jean nodded in approval, even though he could he couldn't see it, and began to focus her telekinesis on the rubble beneath her. Without hesitation her powers expanded to accommodate the massive weight she intended to move. Her eyes glowed a fiery-orange accompanying the flaming apparition surrounding her body. Jude felt the binding around her dissipate, her copper-brown eyes widened in awe at the sight before her. Jean Grey was a vision of raw power, fueled completely by the simplest of emotions. Jude felt a shudder of fear spread through her core.

Jean ignored the whirlwind of thoughts she was receiving the back of her mind, she watched the concrete rise from its settled state, twirling slowly in her grasp. Without much exertion on her part, the destroyed ceilings rose from the ground. Below her, she saw nothing but smoke and dust swirling, suspended in the air as though time had stopped. A second later, Jean spotted a head of white hair emerging from a cracked slab of stone. Behind her, Scott crawled out on his knees on one hand, while the other was pressed against his side. "I'm okay," Jean heard their leader tell Storm as the woman helped him to his feet.

Automatically, Ororo slung his arm over her shoulder began to move forward. Storm allowed her gaze to turn upward, her stomach twisted with shock, her heart thudded hard against her chest at the sight of debris floating above her head. Cyclops' mirrored her expression, only his pallor complexion added onto the shock. "Let's get moving," Scott grunted, nudging the weather witch with his hip. Storm nodded dumbly and began to move towards the exit.

Jean waited until they had hobbled far enough from the area of disaster before releasing her hold and allowing the debris to crash to the ground again. Jean felt the muscles in her back and neck relaxing, she turned to steal a look at Jude.

Jude averted her gaze away from Jean, Harbinger ran its clawed fingers across her face in curiosity, as Jean glided back over to them. "Not bad," Jude murmured sheepishly. As Jean began to smile at the girl's awkwardness, her gaze shifted behind Jude. Arclight grinned as her hands came together and released a shockwave.

Jean raised her hands to create a telekinetic shield but, the threads that came together to create the defense were shattered and she, along with Jude were knocked off the edge of the floor. Callisto sped forward toward the edge of the floor, she grabbed Jude by the ankle saving her from the fall. Jean landed below, with the sickening thud.

Jude gave a cry of pain when her back collided with the jagged edge of the floor, Callisto paid no mind to her cries. Hoisting her up from the edge she threw the girl onto the ground. Jude convulsed with pain, her legs refused to cooperate with her -- her right arm was attempting to pull her weight across the floor to no avail. Callisto came up beside her with a casual sigh, raising her foot she slammed the heel of her boot onto Jude's right arm.

Jude felt her arm jerk in retaliation, but no pain radiated through her -- nerve damage was a blessing in disguise sometimes. "Not so tough now, are you, girlie?" Callisto taunted. Jude bit down on her lip in irritation, her eyes were beginning to sting again. Grabbing her by the collar of her jacket, Callisto began to move forward. Arclight allowed her leader to go past first, she cast a self-satisfied smirk at the end of the hall before joining her leader.

* * *

"_Jean?… Jean, wake-up!_"

_So much concern. Such worry, we are fine…_ Jean ignored the curious voice in her head and allowed her fingers grasp the hand that held hers. Her eyes opened slowly, she recognized the figure hovering over her before her vision cleared -- there was no mistaking that mop of messy hair. Shifting her gaze, she spotted Storm kneeling next to her, her face contorted with equal concern. "S-Scott… w-what happened?" Jean rasped weakly.

Scott was careful when he shook his head, his ears were still ringing and even the slightest movement irritated his injured side. "Callisto's gone… she and her group escaped," He answered. Jean nodded her head stiffly, trying to focus her energies on blocking the pain. So far she was unsuccessful. Her brown eyes leveled with Scott's behind his visor, her heart clutching up with anxiety. "…And the girl…?"

Storm shook her head. "She's gone. They took her…,"

_How unfortunate…_ the voice whispered without remorse. Jean ignored it still and pulled herself into the embrace of Cyclops. The pain and the voice's presence seemed to fade instantly.

* * *

"_Reports have confirmed that the mutant responsible for last week's break-in, was in fact Jude Kenneth. She is the daughter of the late Jane Kenneth, a popular romance novelist, who died only nine months ago of complications from a liver-transplant surgery, that her husband hoped would save her life…"_

_**Complications. She committed suicide…. All because her **_**daughter**_** wouldn't come home to her. Tsk.**_ Jean winced at the volume of Phoenix's voice in her head.

"… _Mr. Kenneth states that their daughter was not a troubled child, though she struggled daily with kleptomania… the late Mrs. Kenneth stated in a interview that she would've never rejected her daughter, human or mutant…" _

_**Lair.**_ Jean shifted her gaze to Scott. If he had heard her other persona, he didn't acknowledge it.

"…_.Jude has been among the ever-growing amount of missing and confirmed mutant youths and runaways, since July 17__th__, 2000, officially…"_

_**The day I woke up…. how interesting…**__ "Shut up…!"_ Jean hissed, attempting to raise her mental shields. Reaching over, she took a hold of Scott's hand and squeezed lightly. Her fiancé returned the affection, concern reflecting in his hidden eyes. Phoenix's presence shrank back into the recesses of her mind, glowering at the man's very presence.

An image of a smiling girl appeared on the screen alongside a phone number. _"…She is wanted by FBI and S.H.E.I.L.D.. Should anyone come across Jude Kenneth, contact the authorities immediately. In other news, Senator Robert Kelly…"_ Storm turned the volume down the television and turned to regard comrades.

Professor Xavier learned forward in his wheelchair, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Logan, who stood behind him, arms folded across his chest, let out a low growl. "If S.H.E.I.L.D.'s involved in this, Magneto's group is finished…" There was not a hint or remorse in his voice.

"That's true, especially if the Sentinel Program is authorized by President McKenna," Storm responded calmly.

"What about the girl? Jude Kenneth? Their sure to find her if she's with Magneto. She's got information on Stryker's experiments on mutants for the military. And if Mystique wasn't lying, a comprehensive list of known mutants in the united states. I don't think that's something they want known to the public," Scott added grimly.

"At the moment, there's nothing we can do about the Government. However, there still might be a chance that we can help Jude. I'm going to see if I can find her. Be ready," And with that Xavier rolled out of the living room, leaving his x-men to their perspective thoughts.

* * *

**(TBC)**


End file.
